Bjorn Borg? John McEnroe? No, legend has it that it was Gerulaitis who made tennis the coolest sport in the world at the time.
Not because of your game. She was rather physical, hard-working, athletic, mostly without spectacular hits and flashy game moments. But with his inexhaustible energy, he made it to third place in the world rankings. In 1977 he became the champion of the Australian Open, during his career he won a total of 26 titles on the circuit.
He radiated a unique aura off the court. The list of his nicknames can go on and on: Playboy, Disco-Vitas.
With his flamboyant personality, golden curls, large sunglasses and a yellow Rolls Royce with VITAS written on the license plate, he couldn’t be missed.
Gerulaitis lived to the fullest. He stayed out until the early hours of the morning, dating a whole range of actresses and models. He was a regular visitor to the legendary Studio 54 nightclub, where he met celebrities from the world of art and show business, and was friends with Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol. In New York at the turn of the 70s and 80s, he became a bridge between tennis and pop culture.
Nevertheless, he was able to combine a wilder personal life with sports professionalism, commitment to training and high ambitions. Gerulaitis previously denied drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. His only vices were women and constant late nights.
“I know there are a lot of women around me, but am I to blame for the fact that I love their company the most? But if someone told you that I drink, I would get angry. It’s not true. Alcohol and smoking simply do not go together with top tennis,” he claimed in 1982, even though there were rumors that he almost never refused the ubiquitous cocaine in his surroundings.
He was said to be like New York itself: it never sleeps.
“It’s kind of true,” he admitted in one of the interviews. “I know that most of my big rivals, like Borg or Connors, are already in bed at ten o’clock before every important match. But I’m different, I never sleep until two or three. I’m like this and I won’t be different anymore. I’m happy in the world and I like a lot of things,” he added.
That is why he was said to be looking for nightclubs and discotheques. He danced, he had fun. And he had another passion.
“I really like to drink Coke. Imagine if I could drink fifty of them in a day and night. I was home for a few days recently, I went to see a doctor I know in Dallas, and he was horrified,” he said.
The doctor warned him. Long-term drinking of hectoliters of sugary drink could kill him. But that didn’t happen. Death came completely unexpectedly for Gerulaitis.
In September 1994, eight years after the end of his career, he played a doubles game in Seattle with other legends: Borg, Connors and Lloyd. But he pulled a muscle and flew back to Long Island.
He immediately accepted the invitation to the party and wanted to build up his strength by taking a short nap at a friend’s guest house. But he didn’t wake up. He was poisoned in his sleep by carbon monoxide escaping from a faulty pool heater. He was 40 years old and the tennis world was left in shock. A few days later, John McEnroe, Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors carried his coffin.
The famous Borg stated that Gerulaitis was like his brother. Another former player, American Brad Gilbert pointed out:
“Everyone has a dark side, but I only saw the good in him. I never saw him treat anyone badly. He was a guy with a big heart.”
